A long time ago, we had one of our recurring debates on religion, in the course of which I cited the difficult case of the conjoined twins known as Jodie and Mary [Gracie and Rosie]. The awful dilemma was that Mary, lacking a heart and lungs, could not survive without Jodie, yet without separation both would die. The parents, supported by their Church, refused to allow separation. The British appeals court instead ordered that the twins be separated. They were, and Jodie's life was saved at the expense of Mary's, who died immediately after separation.
Their case has just been discussed in a thought-provoking essay by David Wooton in the _London Review of Books_ (26, July 22, 2004) in the context of a book review of Alice Dreger's new book _One of us: conjoined twins and the future of normal_. For anyone interested in such issues, Wooton's essay is a must-read. It's at: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v26/n14/woot02_.html Stephen ___________________________________________________ Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at http://faculty.frostburg.edu/psyc/southerly/tips/index.htm _______________________________________________ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
